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March 29, 2024
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EditorialStrong message to Modi

Strong message to Modi

At a rally in Gujarat, which is the stronghold of radical Hindus, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that by following the values of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a former Indian Congress leader, he would resolve the Kashmir issue. The Pakistani Foreign Office issued a statement soon after the Indian prime minister’s claims, asserting that a resolution had not been made. Kashmir remains a disputed region, and India has illegally occupied heaven on earth. The statement also reads that Indian leaders who are not delusional like Modi must make efforts towards truly resolving this issue as per the guidelines laid down by the UN resolution regarding this matter.

The issue of Kashmir is deeply rooted in the idea of nationalism in both states. Indians and Pakistanis are fed literature where either side is claiming the land as its own. The valley itself has lost its identity in the fight between the two rival nations. More than 75 years later, the dispute remains, and neither side are willing to give up their respective position. The Indian side, however, with the use of brutal force, has occupied much of the land and, since 2019, has made it part of the Indian state. In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party government stripped the disputed territory of its special status and claimed it as its own. However, neither the people nor the land gained any independence or even inclusion. Kashmiris have been facing torture since the two countries gained independence, and they will continue to endure it until the matter is solved as per the guidelines of the UN. The Indian side is reluctant to go that way and has always claimed the issue to be a bilateral issue, but now it has made it a unilateral one as Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that he had solved the Kashmir issue. Pakistan, on the other hand, talks about the idea of joining both sides of Kashmir as per the wishes of the Kashmiris and claiming it as its own. The foreign office has time and again reiterated its stance, saying that the issue is of international nature and must be solved under the guidance of international agencies such as the UN.

In an attempt to make it look like Kashmir is truly a part of India and that Kashmiris are getting all the rights they deserve, the BJP government has launched many so-called development programmes merely for the sake of optics. The country is slowly and steadily using the Israeli model of occupying as it is encouraging its Hindu population to migrate to the Muslim-majority area so that if the plebiscite under the UN resolution takes place, the results show a different picture than what is expected. While Pakistan wants the plebiscite to be held as soon as possible in the last 75 years so that the geographically strategic area of Kashmir comes under the Pakistani flag.

The problem, however, is not limited to the piece of land. Whatever the aim and agenda of the government, there are living, breathing humans residing in Kashmir who are as many citizens of the world as the rest. Therefore, they deserve the proper and complete rights that all others have. Humanitarians on both sides must work towards allowing Kashmiris to live a dignified life as first-class citizens of the world, and they must be given the right to self-determination. Politicians and agencies are unlikely to ever solve this matter.

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